Best way to straighten parts?

[Alex@POD]

Hi all,

Currently building a second Tamiya 911 GT1, as part of my "racing team" project, but the chassis/floor is twisted. I have tried holding it slightly twisted the other way, for 3 days, with no improvement. Is there a "safe" method of getting it straight again? I am worried about heating it up, in case something else moves...

Thanks in advance.

[dr_gn]

Alex@POD said:

Hi all,

Currently building a second Tamiya 911 GT1, as part of my "racing team" project, but the chassis/floor is twisted. I have tried holding it slightly twisted the other way, for 3 days, with no improvement. Is there a "safe" method of getting it straight again? I am worried about heating it up, in case something else moves...

Thanks in advance.

Will it be held straight when the body is clipped on?

[Alex@POD]

I don't think it will, it's quite thick so the body won't quite match up to it. There isn't a huge area for the front of the body to be glued down either...

[dr_gn]

Can't think of anything that doesn't involve a heat gun...and a lot of risk.

[Nuclearsquash]

You could try very hot/boiling water to help this should soften it and allow you to bend it the other way, this certainly works for resin models i've built before. You could also try a hair dryer, i done that before with some success.

[Eric Mc]

The hot water method is the one I've heard of being used. I've never had to use it myself so I can't say how effective it is. It sounds like it might involve an element of pain as well.

[rhinochopig]

Can't you return it?

[davepoth]

If you've got any bits of sprue that are a similar thickness you can always test some bits to see how they react to the heat maybe?

[Alex@POD]

I will try to soften it slightly with hot water and see how it goes. I can't return it, I got it off eBay for 8 quid a few months back...
Is it best to clamp it flat, or to force it the other way until it rests straight?

[Nuclearsquash]

Eric Mc said:

The hot water method is the one I've heard of being used. I've never had to use it myself so I can't say how effective it is. It sounds like it might involve an element of pain as well.

Only mild scalding Eric it does work though, although the hair dryer route is quicker.

[Big Fat Fatty]

Try not to over heat the parts, boiling water will soften it too much and it'll lose shape and detail which you'll never get back. Only use warm water to gently soften the plastic so you can manipulate it back into shape.

On the floor pan of a car I would clamp it flat and heat it gently with a hairdryer but from a fair distance, I made the mistake of trying to straighten a Ferrari 612 body with the dryer about a foot away, it melted it on the lowest setting almost immediately.

[Alex@POD]

Big Fat Fatty said:

Try not to over heat the parts, boiling water will soften it too much and it'll lose shape and detail which you'll never get back. Only use warm water to gently soften the plastic so you can manipulate it back into shape.

On the floor pan of a car I would clamp it flat and heat it gently with a hairdryer but from a fair distance, I made the mistake of trying to straighten a Ferrari 612 body with the dryer about a foot away, it melted it on the lowest setting almost immediately.

Thanks Ryan, I'll have a good go at it over the weekend (I could only have a quick go so far). My girlfriend's hairdryer must be rubbish though, 5 minutes of holding it a couple of inches away (on and off, checking the effect often), it didn't even move a little!

I'll try to take some pictures to illustrate.